The Georgian government has confiscated illegally constructed apartment buildings in the Black Sea city of Batumi from Turkish businessperson Galip Öztürk. He previously faced criminal charges, including over alleged financial crimes.
According to the local independent outlet Batumelebi, representatives of the Property Management Agency, accompanied by security police, entered the buildings on Saturday and asked several people who said they were already living in the apartments to leave the premises.
This followed a plea agreement in a money laundering case against Öztürk, who holds both Georgian and Turkish citizenship. The Batumi City Court announced the agreement in December 2025.
Batumelebi reported that Öztürk had nine apartment buildings confiscated, while the Finance Ministry’s investigative service said it was seven. The agency told pro-government TV Rustavi 2 that the buildings cover 16,081 square metres and, together with the land, ‘have already been registered as state property’.
According to Batumelebi, Öztürk’s company illegally constructed the buildings in 2021 without intervention from the state. However, after the government’s relations with the businessperson soured, an administrative dispute over the legality of the buildings was initiated in the Batumi court.
A criminal case against Öztürk was announced in May 2022. He was accused of financial crimes, including money laundering, and of possessing a large quantity of drugs. However, at the initial stage, the businessperson was charged only with drug-related offences, with the financial charges brought against him only in February 2023.
Öztürk was tried on drug-related charges in the same month and sentenced to eight years in prison. However, in 2025, the Prosecutor General’s Office agreed to a plea bargain, under which Öztürk was fined ₾1 million ($370,000). Similarly, the dispute over the financial crimes was resolved through a plea agreement later that year.
When he was released from prison, Öztürk’s lawyer told the media that his client intended to stay in Batumi and continue his business activities.
Batumelebi reported that Öztürk has held Georgian citizenship since 2015 and lives in Batumi. A 2021 investigation by the outlet noted the businessperson had been sentenced to life imprisonment in Turkey in a premeditated murder case, a charge he denies. Turkish authorities have requested his extradition in connection with the case.
Öztürk owns the company Metro Holding, which encompasses dozens of subsidiary companies. Archives contain photos of him with several of Georgia’s prime ministers, and Batumelebi reports that he has transferred several million GEL to the state-owned Solidarity Fund.
